Key-guard



S. CARALUN.

KEY GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10. 1920.

I Patented June 15, 1920.

I 7210672157;- fimnqy Cam/lam, Q9 99 4/ PArsNr clerics.

STANLEY CARALUN, OF MELROSE PARK, ILLINOIS.

KEY-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11110 15, 1920,

Application filed February 10, 1920. Serial No. 357,650.

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STANLEY GARALUN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Melrose Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Key-Guards, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in key guards which are designed to prevent the forcing out of the lock of a key from the outside of the door, as a preliminary to the insertion of another key to effect the felonious entrance to a dwelling or other building. When the bolt is thrown to lock ing position from the inside, the key is usually left in a position with the bit and the handle loop of the key at a right angle to the key hole. Hence, to dislodge the key, it is necessary to turn the latter to a position in which the bit is in line with'the key hole. I 7

Various key guards have heretofore been proposed, which operate upon the principle of locking the key on the inside of the door against such turning movement, and most of these devices are provided with a lock member which engages with a handle loop to prevent its turning. Some of these devices are mounted on the shank of the door knob,

while others are screwed to the door itself.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved key guard whichmay be screwed to the door by one or more of the screws which fasten the lower end of the usual'escutcheon plate to the door, and which shall be both extensible and transversely flexible so as to cooperate withkeys of different lengths and fit situations where a keyhole lies different distances from the lower fastening screw or screws of the escutcheon plate.

My invention, its mode of application and use. and its advantages will all be readily understood and. appreciated by those familiar with devices of this character, from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of a fragment of a door and door lock viewed from the inner side, and showing my im proved key guard applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the key guard in extended or operative position;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the guard taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the key guard in folded or idle position.

Referring to the drawing, 5 designates a door in which is mounted an ordinary lock 6 of the type employing a sliding bolt 7 operated by a key 8 having the usual bit (not shown) that is inserted and removed through the key hole 9, and the handle loop 10. 11 designates the usual key-holeor escutcheon plate screwed to the inner side of the door by a pair of fastening screws 11 at its lower end and similar screws (not shown) at its upper end. i

My improved key guard comprises the following parts 12 designates a fiat strip of metal, which I term a holding plate, to the lower end of which are pivotally secured by a rivet 13 apair of fastening strips 14, these latter being provided at their lower ends with holes 15 to receive the attaching screws 11, by which the holding plate 12 and the parts of the guard carried thereby are securely mounted on the inner side of the door.

Hinged at 16 to the upper end of the holding plate 12 is a flat metal member which I term an extension plate 17 This extension plate 17 is formed with a central longitudi nal slot 18.

Slidably engaged with the extension plate 17 is a shank 19 of a guard plate, this latter also including a head portion 20 formed with a horizontal slot 21 that fits over the handle loop 10 of the key in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 1. The shank 19 of the guard plate is formed on its opposite edges with a pair of inwardly turned loops or flanges 22 which constitute channel guides for the longitudinal edges of the extension plate 17, and said shankis further formed with a lug 23 that extends through the slot 18 and cooperates with the latter in limiting the relative sliding movement of the parts and preventing their separation endwlse.

Integral with the slotted head 20 of the guard plate is a vertical extension 24: formed with inturned lips 25 that serve as guides for a locking tongue 26 slidably mounted therein; this locking tongue having bent lugs 27 and 28 at its upper and lower ends, respectively, by which it is confined against escape from the lips 25. In the holding plate 12 is a hole 29 which, in the folded idle position of the parts, shown in Fig. 4;, receives the lug 23 of the shank 19 and permits the latter to be folded down fiat against the holding plate 12.

In applying the device to the key, the handle loop of the latter is turned to the horizontal position, the guard plate and extension plate are swung upwardly on the hinge 16 and, with the locking tongue 26 in the raised position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the slotted head 20 is passed over the handle loopflO, and the tongue 26 is then moved down across the slot 21 and through the handle loop, thereby locking the guard plate on the latter, With the guard thus engaged with the key, it is obviously impossible to turn the latter in the lock, and this effectively prevents the insertion of a false key from the outside. To release the key, the locking tongue 26 is raised and the guard plate slipped offthe handle loop and foldeddownwardly, asshown in Fig. 4, where it does not interfere with the manipulation of the key.

One of the objects had in view in. the development of the present device was to providea key guard that could be applied to the door without requiring any alteration or rhsfigurement of the door 1tself, and, 1n

cases-where key plates are used, without requiring any fastening devices other than the fastening screws of the keyplate. Some of these plates employ two fastening screws,

as herein illustrated, at the lower end. Othersi employ a single central fastening screw. The pivoted fastening strips 1 L accommodate the present device to either situation. Where a single central fastening screw is used, the two fastening strips 14: are simply folded one above the other, as

illustrated in Figs. 3 and 1-.

The use of a hinge between the holding gplatelil-and the parts mounted therein, and

the extensible connection of the guard plate to the holding plate not only permit the device tohe folded down out of the way, as SllOWILlllF 1g. t, but also adapt the device for use with keys of different lengths and key plates of diiferent distances between the key hole and the lower fastening screw or screws. I am aware thata longitudinal eX- tensible hinged key guard is broadly old; but, so Il'ZLI'aZIS I am aware, such a key guard employing the slotted guard plate for engagementwith the handle loop of the key 111 the manner herein shown and described is original Wl-tll-DIB.

plate and formed with a hole at itslower end to receive a fastening screw.

2. A key guard, comprising,'in combination, a guard-plate having a slotted head adapted to fit over the handle loop ofa key *anda depending shank formed-with channel guides on its OPPOSltQGClgGS, an eXtens1on plate slidably mounted in said channel guides, means for limiting relative'sliding movement of said shankand extension-plate,

a holdin, -p'late hinged at its upper end to the lower endof said extension-plate, and a fastening strip attached to said holdingplate and formed with a hole at its lower end to receive a fastening screw.

3. A key guard, comprising, in combinavtion, a holding-plate, means for attaching said holding-plate to a d0or, a longitudr nally slotted extension-plate hinged to said holdingplate, and a guard-plate having a slotted head adapted to fit over the handle loop of a key and adepending shank formed 'with channel guides on its opposite edges engaged with the edges of said extensionplate and with a lateral lug lying in the slot of said extensiomplate.

4. A key guard, comprising, in combination, a holding-plate, a guard-platevadaptedw to be engaged with the handle loop of a' key to lock the latter against turning, a hinged connection between saidguard-plate and holding-plate, and a pair of "fastening strips pivotally connected to said holding-plate and formed with holes in their lower ends.

5. A key guard, comprising, incombina- I tion,;a holding-plate, :a guard-plate adapted to be engaged with the handle loop of a key to lock the latter against turning, an extensible hinged connection between said guard- .plate and holding-plate, and a pair of fastening strips connected .in overlapped relation by a single pivot to saidholding-plate and formed withholes in their lower ends.

' STANLEY CARALUN. 

